PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic examination of the importance of trust‐developing constructs and the impact of trust on long‐term orientation within the small and medium‐sized enterprises (SME) domain.Design/methodology/approachA theoretically grounded model has been developed that comprises three cognitive (reputation, skill and transaction specific investments) and three behavioural (information exchange, coercive power and flexibility) antecedents of trust, which in turn is posted to be a determinant of long‐term orientation. The model has been tested using 229 responses obtained through a postal survey carried out in the UK electrical and electronic industry.FindingsWith the exception of the skill to trust, all other hypothesised relationships have been supported. In relative terms, reputation followed by flexibility have been found to be the most important determinants of trust.Research limitations/implicationsThe moderating impact of company size and length of relationships have not been examined. The potential for differential behaviour of upstream and downstream business relationships also merits examination.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that development of trust can best be affected by a balanced and coordinated set of activities designed to enhance both cognitive and behavioural aspects of trust. Advice as to how this can be achieved is offered.Originality/valueDespite the extensive study of trust between large organisations there is a general lack of corresponding research with the SME domain. The results reported here provide support for the claim that related findings based on large organisations can be extended to apply to SMEs.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to integrate the “triple bottom line (3BL)” approach in the supplier selection decision. It also aims to consider the feedback effect of the decision on strategic factors that determine the future viability of the firm in the market. Design/methodology/approach A multi-criteria decision model is developed that considers simultaneously the impact of three dimensions of 3BL approach and their sub-dimensions on the supplier selection decision. The proposed model is evaluated for a large white goods manufacturer using the analytic network process (ANP) approach. Findings The ANP considers the impact of variables, sub-variables, and their interdependencies simultaneously. The outcome of the model is the relative priorities for the firms considered as potential suppliers. Practical implications This research was conducted in one of the largest developing economies. The impact of integrating sustainability would be widespread due to the huge market in which the company operates. The results of this research can provide support to the decision makers in arriving at an optimal decision considering all sustainability dimensions. Originality/value The novelty of the approach lies in the application of multi-criteria model integrating sustainability dimensions with a feedback effect for supplier selection. The case company would benefit by showing its commitment toward environment and social responsibility leading to improved brand image and sustainable business.

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Purpose The purpose of this research paper was the study of an affluent Islamic market, going through a rapid economic and social transformation, from an ethical consumption perspective. More specifically, impact of environmentalism, consumption ethics, fair trade attitude and materialism was investigated on the ethical consumption behaviour of Muslim consumers. Design/methodology/approach A research framework was put together after consulting relevant literature, Islamic scholars and Islamic marketers. The developed research framework was tested in the Islamic State of Qatar. As an outcome of an online questionnaire-based survey targeting Muslim (Qatari) consumers in a public university, 243 usable questionnaires were collected. After reliability and validity checks, AMOS SPSS 20 was used to conduct structural equation modelling analysis on the collected data. Findings The results showed consumption ethics, environmentalism and fair trade attitude as significant determinants of ethical consumption behaviour. There was an insignificant association between materialism and ethical consumption behaviour. The findings suggested that most Muslim consumers within this affluent market showed an interest in ethical consumption. However, an insignificant association between materialism and ethical consumption behaviour implied that even though Muslim consumers demonstrated ethical consumption behaviour, they were not anti-materialism. The outcome suggests that due to the high levels of affluence among Muslim consumers, it is possible that they may be practising ethical and materialistic consumption simultaneously. Practical implications This research should assist marketers in understanding the ethical consumption behaviour of Muslim consumers who are faced with ethical and materialistic consumption options within an affluent Islamic market. Originality/value The research should add to the body of consumer behaviour knowledge, as it provides an insight into the consumption behaviour of Muslims who are facing social and religious ideology conflicts which makes their ethical consumption behaviours more sophisticated.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine customer attitudes toward purchasing counterfeit luxury products (ATPCLP) in two cities in two different countries (Saudi Arabia and Malaysia) by testing the relationships between the various reasons for purchasing those products: social status insecurity, status consumption and value consciousness.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaires were distributed conveniently to urban customers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Altogether 658 useable questionnaires were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, general linear model of univariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling.FindingsQuality, price, popularity and status signaling represent the main motivating factors for their brand choices of counterfeit luxury products among the two country groups of customers. As expected, customers' social status insecurity influences their ATPCLP, but not their status consumption. However, status consumption does positively moderates the relationship of their social status insecurity and their ATPCLP. Furthermore, customers' value consciousness influences their ATPCLP and moderates the relationship between status consumption and ATPCLP. The impact of status consumption on ATPCLP depends on the importance one places on the value of the products. However, the authors found no differences in social status insecurity, status consumption and value consciousness, on their ATPCLP among the customers. Some implications and limitations of the results are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of convenience sampling and mainly college students (in Saudi Arabia) as respondents represent the main limitations of this study.Practical implicationsThe practical implication of this study is to discourage the purchasing of counterfeit luxury products in their respective country Malaysian marketers need to stress that their genuine products are of top quality while Saudi marketers need to stress that their genuine products are of well-known brands that are sourced from well-known countries of origin. Besides, Malaysian marketers need to offer genuine products that are not overly priced or ones that indicate value-for-money while Saudi marketers need to convey the message that their genuine products could help enhance or uplift their customers' social status. In this study, the authors did not find any support for differences in ATPCLP between the two rather different Muslim-majority countries. This could be due to the fact that the majority of the respondents were females in their mid-20s and that both countries have a growing number of young customer base, which makes them particularly attractive target customers for branded/luxury products and, at the same time, easy preys to luxury products counterfeiters. This implies that there are still more opportunities for academics to study the topic or related topics in the future.Originality/valueAs far as the authors know, no one has undertaken a comparative study involving two very different Islamic majority countries (more conservative mono-cultural and mono-ethnicity Saudi Arabia versus less conservative multicultural and multi-ethnicity Malaysia) before.